Packaging and labelling
The way you present and package your food or beverage product has strong bearing on the ultimate success of your business.
- Packaging is the container or wrapper for any food product.
- Labelling is part of the packaging with printed material to appear on the package.
The SA Food Centre can help ensure that your businesses packaging and labelling is a key marketing tool.
Packaging
Packaging is also a sales tool; it can sell your product without you being there, by the way it looks (by attracting attention), describing the actual product and making the product easily accessible. Packaging can help in the instant recognition of the product.
Spending a little bit more on packaging may increase the selling price of the product considerably. Packaging is also part of food safety. When buying food we look for packaging that is still sealed.
Your packaging will evolve and is just as much part of the product development process as the development and scaling up of your recipes. It is important to trial different packaging in different shapes, sizes and materials to assess how this meets consumers’ needs. Packaging is also an important sales tool to retailers.
Retailers want products that are easy to display, easy to stack and eye catching. Retail ready packaging is an option where the containers and packaging for retail goods which are ready to be displayed instantly or with little set up for retail consumption by consumers ie chewing gum.
Labelling
Labelling is not only an important marketing tool; it is now a requirement by-law for many food businesses. A label performs several functions:
- It identifies the product (through name/brand)
- It can position the product in the consumers mind
- It can describe the product
- It may promote the product if it is eye catching enough
There is a specified selection of information that must be included on food labels. This includes the:
- name of the food
- premises where the food was packed or prepared
- lot (or batch) number
- name of the business
- business address (not a PO Box number)
- mandatory warning and advisory information
- ingredient labelling
- date mark (best before)
- health and safety advice
- nutritional information panel
- percentage of characterising ingredient/s
- country of origin
- net weight
Environmental awareness
As the management of our environment grows in our awareness, it is important to recognise the environmental impact of the disposal of packaging. Industry in Australia and New Zealand, in conjunction with the national government and some local governments, have developed a self-regulatory agreement, in an effort to minimize the environmental impacts of consumer packaging waste. Visit the Australian Government Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
The food industry also heavily supports standards of best practice for sustainability. An example is the National Packaging Covenant, which is a self-regulatory agreement between industries in the packaging chain, and the government. It is based on the principles of shared responsibility through product stewardship, and applied throughout the packaging chain – from raw material suppliers to retailers, and the ultimate disposal of waste packaging.
Recent research has found that more than a third of Australians claim to have actively sought products with more environmentally friendly packaging in 2008. It also showed that four million Australian adults now buy products with a health or sustainability benefit, and that environmental, social and community benefits are also considered when making product choices.
Although Australia does not have a full eco-labelling system in place, some existing labelling schemes provide environmental information. Examples of these are the energy labels used on appliances, the labelling of detergent phosphate content and the statement of recycled contents on packaging and products.
Need advice?
You can try and develop your own packaging from off the shelf packaging products, but most people use the services of a graphic designer.
Your thinking should be incorporated in a clear, simple brief for the designer. The brief should include:
- What the package should be or do for the product. Is it primarily to protect the product or is it part of a sales gimmick? Do you want people to be able to heat the product in the microwave in the packaging? Is the packaging a form of preservation (e.g. keeps the product fresh)?
- Specific elements of the package—size, shape, materials, colour, text and brand mark. These must work with your positioning statement, brand values and marketing strategies.
How has the SA Food Centre helped others?
Flyer
Ferguson Australia, Quality gourmet seafood fresh to market
Articles
SA Food Centre: You first stop for packaging
SA Food Centre: Your first stop for labelling
Who can I contact?
The SA Food Centre can help businesses with their packaging and labelling. We can provide advice and assess your business needs.
- Page last modified: November 15, 2011, 5:51 pm
- Welcome URL is http://www.safoodcentre.com.au/
- This page: http://www.safoodcentre.com.au/consumers/packaging_and_labelling
